


Bittersweet company

by Jus10D



Category: Cycling RPF, cyclocross
Genre: Cycling, M/M, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Tour de France 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-07 18:38:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20821967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jus10D/pseuds/Jus10D
Summary: In the Tour de France of 2019 Wout van Aert falls and hurts his knee very badly. While he's in the hospital he receives good company, but is Wout really that happy with it?





	Bittersweet company

**Author's Note:**

> I saw [this video](https://twitter.com/normie___/status/919303985319817216) on twitter of a guy pranking his friend in the ER and it made me think of a very funny Mathieu Van der Poel.

It’s been two days now since he’s had his crash in the ITT and life is absolutely miserable is this hospital. Next to not being able to continue his first Tour de France, he is also in a lot of pain and this hospital isn’t like the one he’s used to at home. Those very bad hotels they’ve slept in the past 2 weeks, they were nothing compared to this. He’s just constantly laying in his own sweat because they don’t even have air con. He’s bored to dead, the WiFi is non existent so Netflix isn’t an option. The only thing he can look forward to is that day’s tour stage.

“How was lunch, Wout?” the nurse asked walking in his room to collect his plate. It’d been horrible, almost as if they had forgotten the nutrients. “It was okay” he lied, the nurse looked suspicious. “You didn’t eat that much, are you feeling well?” he nodded. “I am, wasn’t that hungry” she nodded. “I’ll be back in a few minutes to clean your wounds.” just as she said it his stomach started to growl. He pressed it down and coughed to be able to disguise it, bit embarrassing.

“There’s something wrong?” Luckily this woman is as clueless as can be. “No, just a dry throat, I’m fine. Thank you.” He’s really looking forward to when his team is flying him home on Tuesday. Only 2 more days.

“Can I treat you on a lunch mister van Aert?”

He recognised the voice before he saw the face popping around the corner of his room. Mathieu van der Poel himself was standing in his room holding a sandwich up. “Is this a dream come true?” Mathieu laughed at Wout his comment and handed the club sandwich over. “Is it that easy? Because I brought you a slice of cake as well, but I wouldn’t have a problem eating it myself.” He handed it over anyway.

“Thank you, mate. What brings you here?” Mathieu sat down in the chair next to Wout his bed. “I was still in Les Gets after the mountainbike world cup and figured you could use some company in here before I fly to the Czech Republic for the European Championships.” He flied all the way over to Pau just to keep him company? That’s huge.

“Wow huh.” “Oh just checking out the competition. That’s all.” Wout wasn’t complaining, he could use some company. He held up the sandwich to Mathieu as a way to say thank you, before he took a bite out of it. He really was hungry.

The nurse returned when he took his second bite, he looked at her like a dear caught in the headlight. “Not that hungry are you.” she just shook her head and smiled at him. “Would you mind going outside?” she asked Mathieu. Mathieu was quick on his feet to leave. “Of course, wouldn’t want to get in the way.”

Wout couldn’t help but look when she took off the bandages, he winched when he did. You didn’t have to be a doctor to see that it wasn’t healing as it should. The painkillers he was given didn’t do anything for him when the nurse, who was being very careful not to hurt him, cleaned out and disinfected his sutures. The only thing Wout could do was grip the sheets tight as possible and close his eyes, wishing it would be over soon.

“It should be healing soon.” the nurse said when applying new bandages. “It should.” Wout replied. It wasn’t her fault of course, but he was in pain.

She left the room and Mathieu came back in after her. He’s probably been in the same situation multiple times as well. “Are you really just here to keep my company?” Wout isn’t complaining, he’s just a bit curious as to why Mathieu is around. “Yes of course, I was around for the Tour with my grandfather anyway. I know how lonely it can get out here and if I watch cycling all afternoon here or at my hotel room, that’s not going to make any difference. Although, my hotel room did have air con.” He picked up today’s newspaper to wave it in his face. “I appreciate it, dude.”

Mathieu turned on the television and they both just focused on the screen. It’s promised to be a very hard final, so there wasn’t much action in this early stage of the day. The action that lacked on the television screen, Mathieu made up for in Wout his hospital room.

Out of nowhere Mathieu started playing the song ‘_Walk on water_’. Wout who was texting his wife looked up from his phone confused to Mathieu who was filming him. He was smiling from behind the screen. Wout just shook his head and looked in front of him to the race that was playing. After the music stopped Wout just glared at Mathieu.

It didn’t take long before the second song started playing, Dire Straits’ _walk of life_ filled the room. Of course this is Mathieu his humour. Wout didn’t need to look over to know that he was filming it again. So when he also played _walk me home_ and _walking on air_, Wout was not surprised at all.

It was when he played him _walking on sunshine_ that Wout had kind of reached his edge, and judging from the look on Mathieu his face while he was laughing from behind his phone. That’s exactly where he wanted him to be. He stopped filming and kept on laughing. “I”m sorry Wout, it was too funny not to. I’ll stop, I promise.” they continued to chit chat and watch the race.

They had switched to Flemish television for reasons, one of them being actually wanting to follow the race. The race was heating up with Yates attacking on one of the hills. Wout had put his phone on silent since Sarah was in a meeting and she wouldn’t be texting him back anyway. That’s why he never got the notification of Mathieu tagging him in the video he had put on his instagram.

The race reporters of flemish television did see the video and so did Wout when it started playing on Belgian national television. “Wout van Aert did have to pull out of this race a few days ago after a nasty crash. He’s now in the hospital of Pau after surgery. Luckily he’s been visited by rival Mathieu van der Poel. He certainly does know how to have a laugh.” Wout watched through the video Mathieu just posted while the latter was again laughing from next to him. Beside that, he really liked having Mathieu there.


End file.
